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New England Patriots mock draft: ESPN's Mel Kiper has Bill Belichick taking a defensive tackle early

As the 2016 NFL Draft nears, the needs of the New England Patriots are taking shape -- mostly because they have no defensive tackles left on the roster.

In the past week, the Pats have parted ways with Dominique Easley, Chris Jones and Ishmaa'ily Kitchen, making the interior defensive line a priority next week.

Here is what ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper projected in his latest "Grade A" mock draft. As part of the mock, Kiper plays GM for all 32 teams. He doesn't project what each team will do; he projects what each team should do.